The Rudolf Steiner Archive

16. Mysteries and Secrecy

[ 1 ] Today I would like to make some remarks about processes that can be perceived in the astral sphere.

[ 2 ] The theosophical movement is a necessity for our time. We are criticized for revealing secrets that otherwise only a few people knew – for example, in Blavatsky's books “Isis unveiled” and “Secret Doctrine” – but other people consider it timely to share these things. There are occultists who say that it is harmful to share this knowledge. So we see two directions, one saying that it is harmful, a misfortune to share occult knowledge; but the other direction claims that it is necessary to share this knowledge with the world.

[ 3 ] The astral sphere does not always remain the same, it undergoes small changes. These are not significant, but they can still be clearly perceived. The general scenery of the astral plane was different in the time of the Atlanteans than in our time; it changed from year to year. Certain changes in the astral world have led to the realization that it is necessary to communicate some of the occult knowledge to people, and to do so publicly and popularly and not merely to individual initiates. This is the deepest occult knowledge, and only part of it can ever be stated.

[ 4 ] In the nineteenth century, very special signs have appeared in the astral world which prove with absolute certainty that the great secret that must be expressed in our race shows a slightly different character from the earlier secrets. Each race receives one of the seven great secrets. Four of these secrets have already been delivered. The fourth was delivered to the fourth root race. The fifth secret is the one we are growing into; the sixth and seventh secrets will be delivered to the sixth and seventh root races.

[ 5 ] Not all people of a root race are initially initiated into such secrets. Until now, the basic secret was only ever in the possession of the adepts. Through possession of the secret, they were the leaders of the respective race. For our fifth root race it has been the same until now. In the September number of “Lucifer” you will find some hints about this. Only at the end of the fifth root race will it be revealed to and understood by a larger number of people. In the earlier root races, only a few received these secrets. In our root race, the ability of the intellect, the mind, has been developed. The deepest depths are closed to the mind, but some external aspects of the secret can be guessed with the mind. Before the year 1875, nothing was known about these things, or at least they were ignored.

[ 6 ] The secret of the fifth root race can now be handed down from mind to mind without speculation. I cannot explain what the signs in the astral are; some have indeed been guessed by personalities who are far from any occult current. It is in the nature of human disposition within the fifth race that there will soon be many people who will guess some of it.

[ 7 ] There are occultists who say that divulging the secret is something very dangerous; it is detrimental to both the person concerned and to all humanity. It is dangerous for the reason that the communication of the secret of the fifth root race could divide people into a few very good people and many others who are radically immoral. This is a paradoxical and daring assertion. But these occultists really believe that the central secret of the fifth root race cannot be communicated, because if someone were to communicate this secret, they would be at the mercy of others and would lose the opportunity to exert a beneficial influence on humanity. Furthermore, it is futile to communicate the secret because it would only lead to harmful effects. Therefore, there is no initiate who has communicated this secret. And there is no way to snatch the secret from an initiated person, even torture would be of no use, the person would go insane or die from the agony.

[ 8 ] Theosophy is now to prepare humanity so that when the secret is partially revealed, the bad effects will be paralyzed. One fundamental difference between the secret of the fifth root race and the secrets of the earlier root races is that the secret of our fifth root race can be partially guessed by the mind. In the past, the secrets were strictly in the hands of adepts who led humanity. But in our time there could be people who outgrow the adepts in some respects. Therefore, some people must be prepared when the secret confronts them from the outside. The time will come when individuals will emerge with parts of the truth that they can guess. Without the preparation of Theosophy, however, this would be terrible and devastating for people. It could be that there would be a few good people, but the great mass of humanity would be lost to the good. The basic teachings of Theosophy are the prerequisite for these truths to be given to people. Without them, people would be divided into three parts: firstly, the thoughtless masses; secondly, the destructive intellectuals with the guessed secret; and thirdly, the occultists. People would wage a life-and-death struggle against each other. But those who have guessed the secret do not realize why the secret must not be revealed. The Theosophical Society strives to prevent this division of humanity into three parts, but to create a nucleus of a universal brotherhood. One may object that there can never be a universal brotherhood of humanity. We reply: What you say is true, but we know the foundations of theosophy and we know that such a core will protect humanity. This is a kind of prophecy, but it is based on objective perception in the astral world. The secret of our root race is one that can be guessed to a certain extent. Therefore, people must be prepared for the time of guessing. People must learn to support each other, they must work together. It would be detrimental if all people's thoughts were directed only at the immediate present, if their thoughts were directed only at the temporal and not at the eternal. We now know an even deeper reason than that of the astral laws, which compels us to use our powers for the theosophical movement, because we know where humanity is heading.